Mandatory Leave
by robinraven4ever
Summary: A mysterious woman from the past shows up in DC, the team is divided on if she is trustworthy. She carry's with her a secret that could tear the team apart. Romantic pairings include Kate/Tony, Abby/McGee. The story is now finished.
1. Playing With Fire

Chapter 1 – Playing with fire.

The day was going by at a snail's pace. She was dreading the end of the day, because when she left work she had nothing to do for two weeks while she takes a mandatory vacation. She has been a supervisor at the call center for over three years. She spent most of the day reviewing calls, so that she would less to do when she comes back. She took her headphones off, and walked to the printer. Her agents have to sign the call reviews. The calls must be coming in slow, because there is a lot of personal chatter on the call floor. She sighs; she would rather have things busy so she didn't have to small talk with the agents. She would rather keep to herself, and when the agents aren't busy they like to ask questions. Plus, they reminded her that she was in her mid-thirties with no husband or children.

Two agents in their early twenties were giggling. "He was a total flirt. He even asked me to go to some club with him on Saturday! He said he would fly me out to DC himself." one whispered to the other

"Pathetic loser, he is probably middle aged and ugly. What was his name? I want to try and look him up on Facebook tonight," replied the second girl, almost inaudible. They were trying to be quiet, because it was against company policy to track customer information.

The supervisor was trying not to listen; she had heard enough of these stories about lonely men flirting with agents on the phone. She didn't fancy hearing another one. It wasn't like the girls were stealing credit card information, so she didn't care about the company information. But she was trained to listen and observe, so she couldn't stop herself. "His name was Tony DiNozzo." The supervisor took a deep breath; she had to keep her wits about her. She told herself there had to be more than one Tony DiNozzo in DC. She would simply review the call, and she that would answer the question at hand.

She sat down at her desk and put the headphones back on. She went into the computer and found the most recent call from the agent. This was a bad idea; she told herself that, she knew that she shouldn't listen to this call. It started playing, as soon as the man started talking, she recognized his voice. It was her Tony. She breathed deeply; it had been so long since she heard his voice. She didn't realize how much she missed him until she heard his voice. The girl had been telling the truth; Tony said that he would be at the Platinum Nightclub in Washington DC tomorrow night. He asked the girl to join him there.

She keyed the code into her phone, and logged herself out for her final break of the day. She pulled up Expedia and looked at hotels in the DC area. She found a nice hotel about 10 minutes away from the club. It was an 8 hour drive to DC. She smiled as she convinced herself that it wouldn't hurt anyone if she drove to DC for a weekend. It would give her something to do on her vacation. Excitement mounted as she made plans in her head. She had to go buy a new outfit or two, because she had no clubbing clothing in her closet. She also wanted to get her hair and nails done. Not that she was a girly type, but every woman enjoys dressing up for a night on the town.

After three hours of shopping she was ready to go. She stopped by her one room apartment and grabbed her basic toiletries. It was around 2100 hours she started the drive to DC, then around 0100 she pulled off the highway and checked into a cheap motel. There were mostly trucks in the parking lot. The room was small, smelly, and the bed was lumpy, but she was able to get some sleep. She woke up, grabbed a quick breakfast, and started back on the road again. She arrived in DC around 1500 hours. She found a local salon and had her hair and nails done. She checked into her hotel, and started getting ready.

She drew a bath, and poured lilac scented bubbles. She washed her body, being careful not to get her hair wet, and shaved her legs. In her mind, she was playing out scenarios of how to get Tony to talk to her. It had been so long since she had this excited about anything. She knew Tony likes to talk about himself, as long she can keep him from talking about movies.

After her bath, she smothered her body in lotion. She splashed perfume on her neck and wrists. She put make-up on her face and then slid into her new dress. The dress was deep purple satin dress and came to just below her fingertips. The skirt was straight and hugged her curves, while the top was heart shaped covered in a black lace overlay that went up to her neck and down her arms. Giving a glance in the mirror, her upswept red hair with spiral strands framing her face complemented the dress perfectly.

She used the hotel phone to call a cab, her plan was to tell tony that she came with her girlfriend, who left her here when she scored with a hot guy. This would leave Tony as the rescuer for the damsel in distress. While driving to the club, she began to get cold feet. She worried that a case had come up or that Tony had found another girl to bring. She also wondered if Tony would expect to get lucky. That was not on her agenda, she simply wanted updates on everyone at NCIS. She laughed; it had been a while so perhaps Tony didn't even work at NCIS anymore. She bit her lip, what if someone was dead, was she a good enough actress to pull off that she didn't know this person. She was playing with fire, and hoped she didn't get burned in the process. What if he recognized her? She looked a lot different than when he saw her last, but he was a trained agent. He also noticed women. She thought about telling the cab driver to turn around, but shook her head. No, she was going to go through with her plan. She was tired of hiding.


	2. Silent Conversations

Chapter 2 – Silent Conversations

The alarm clock made a chirping noise, signaling that it was time for Tony DiNozzo to wake up. Had the alarm clock been able to see the evil look that Tony shot it, the buzzing would have stopped without Tony having to feel around in the dark for the snooze button. With a successful push of the button, Tony's abode was once again filled with blessed silence. Tony wrapped his arms back around his pillow ad drifted back into a light slumber. Nine minutes later the annoying noise returned, once again it was silenced by Tony's hand. This time, Tony did not drift back into slumber, he stared at the ceiling. He did not want to get up, but he knew he had to.

Grimacing, Tony got up and headed to the kitchen. He switched on the coffee pot, so it started brewing his morning coffee. While that was brewing, he went to the bathroom. He relieved his bladder and then got in the shower. Once he was clean and had finished his hygiene rituals, he put on a pair of black slacks and a burgundy shirt. After pouring his coffee into a travel mug, be grabbed his keys off the counter and headed to his car.

It was still dark out. It seemed unnatural to be up this early on a Saturday with no active case. He drove to the airport, and after he parked his car in the parking lot he went to the counter. He picked up his boarding pass, went through security, and sat at the gate till boarding was started. A little over an hour later, the stewardess began boarding the plane. He boarded the plane, and napped during the flight. When the plane landed, he picked up a rental car. He drove it to a small flower shop. He went in and purchased a dozen red roses.

He drove ten miles down the road and turned into Memorial Gardens Cemetery. He drove towards the back and stopped. He got out of his car and walked to the graves. He kneeled in front of one, placing the flowers at her headstone. The silence in the graveyard was peaceful, but in an eerie way that was unnerving.

"I hope you don't mind that I came a couple days early. I know you didn't die till Tuesday but this was the most convenient. It was going to be really hard to make it later this week. Gibbs wouldn't approve the day off. I figured you would be better with early, than late. I can't believe it's really been six years. "

He imagined her responding, "I already have to wait an entire year, what are a few more days."

"Had I come late, you would have been singing another tune."

He knew she was laughing. "So you've used a lot of time off, what's been going on?"

"They wouldn't approve the day off, Ziva had already requested the week off. I got my request in too late. "

"I see," she said. "My sister came to see for the first time this year. It was nice to have a visitor other than you."

"I'm hurt. Maybe, I should just go back to the airport since I bore you so much." He started to walk away.

"Tony, please don't go. You misunderstood."

He turned around and went back to the grave. "I know it's not what you meant. Your sister would probably have me relieved of duty if she saw me here carrying on a conversation with a dead woman."

"No she wouldn't, she liked you. She told me it's a shame I never seduced you because you would have loosened me up a bit. "

"Oh she did, maybe I should give her a call" Tony said with a twinkle in his eye.

"It wouldn't work. She said you were my type, not her type. She accused me of having a school girl crush on you."

"You were so hot in your school girl uniform!"

"Only in your dreams, DiNozzo"

"Many times, and you enjoyed every bit of it"

"Tony," she said. It's been six years. My sister has seen me once in those years, but no one besides you has come back after my funeral. Why do you keep coming to see me?"

"Are you complaining?" He asked.

"Tony, don't changing the subject. It's nice knowing you still think of me but I worry that you are hiding from something?"

He sighed, and admitted to himself and tombstone"I don't want to die alone; I want a family or something to live for other than my job. You understood me in a way the others don't." Tony sat there in silence for long time thinking about himself and the past. He used his fingers to trace the lines of her name in the tombstone. After about an hour he got up to head back.

As he walked away, he looked back and said "goodbye Kate."


	3. Dangerous Liaisons

Chapter 3 - Dangerous Liaisons

She sat in the corner, trying to watch the door. A man with long blond hair was trying to flirt with her, but she wasn't impressed. She was trying to be polite, but he wasn't taking the hint. She was beginning to get worried, as she had yet to see Tony come into the club. She wondered he had been joking with her agent on the phone, or had Gibbs made him work on a case this weekend.

She glanced impatiently at the door, Tony needed to get here she was tired of trying to reject this long haired blond band groupie.

"Hey cutie, I just wanted to let you know I'm not Elmo, but you can tickle me any time you want."

She couldn't help but grimace and laugh at the same time, and has she glanced at the door and frowned. Tony had walked in and she hadn't gotten rid of the groupie yet. Plan B, she needed help. If Tony saw her talking to this looser he would move on and find another girl tonight. She got up and walked towards the door. She tried to make it look like she was scanning the incomers. Tony met her eyes and they did a glance over her body and smiled. She mouthed the words "help me". He glanced behind her and she guessed right, the blond had followed her up from the table.

Tony walked up to her and hugged her, "Hi sweetie. Sorry I was late. I got held up running errands. "

She smiled back at him, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the band groupie. He was watching, but hadn't backed away. She wrapped her arms around Tony's neck, and kissed him. She could since he was startled, but he played the role perfectly. She pulled away and smiled, "It's alright darling. I forgive you. You're here now." The two locked hands, and walked back to the rear of the club. The blonde looked at the floor as he walked away.

She sat at a table, and invited Tony to sit with her. "Thanks' so much!" she said.

"No problem, you look like you needed the help."

"I did."

"So what's a pretty woman like you doing here by yourself?"

"I wasn't supposed to be by myself. My cousin, Catherine and I were supposed to be having a girl's night out on the town. Some guy hit on her, and she left with him about an hour ago. "

"Ouch, tough break."

"Tell me about it. Plus she took the car so I'm stuck calling a cab."

"I'll give you a ride when you're ready."

"I can't ask that of you, you've already helped me so much by getting rid of blondie."

Tony chuckled. "I didn't mind."

The pair sat in awkward silence for a moment, before she asked. "Can I buy you a drink, it's the least I can do after how kind you've been. Tony nodded and the pair walked up to the bar to order drinks. They went back to the table, with drinks in hand.

She played with her hair, as she smiled at him. "I just realized I gotten your name yet. "

"My name is Anthony, but everyone calls me Tony"

"Alright Tony, you can call me Bethany. "

"So Bethany, I haven't seen you around here before. What made you choose this club over all the others in the area?"

"It was recommended to Catherine. We are in from Atlanta for a family reunion. Catherine and I are the only ones who aren't married with kids. We decided to take the night off from the mature ones and go have some fun. "

"You say that you didn't recognize me, so does that mean you come here often?"

"Not really, I work a lot of weekends."

"That's no fun, what kind of work are you in?'

"I'm an agent for NCIS."

"Naval something Investigation something, right."

"Naval Criminal Investigation Service, I'm impressed, most people never heard of us at all."

"My father is a retired Captain."

"Ah, still nice to meet a woman who I don't have to explain everything to "

She smiled, "So what kind of things do you investigate at NCIS? I mean terrorism is an FBI thing, and I don't imagine there were there is much crime in the military. The men who serve are willing to die for their country, so what type of crime would they be involved in?"

Tony smiled at her; "You would be surprised. Lots of marines get murdered. Jealous wives, we once had a case where two sailors got wrapped up in an online game. "

"They killed over a computer game. That's more that's more than a little pathetic. "

"Very," Tony stood up and pulled her hand up to him. "We've talked enough, we're at a club so we should do some dancing. "

She smiled, as he led her to the dance floor. They danced and swayed to the music, they couldn't talk over the musical noise in the background. Their bodies flowed in complementary movements as they found rhythm together with the music. She was enjoying it more than she was supposed to. She only wanted to talk to Tony, but now she was wondering if he was going to kiss her. She wasn't sure why, but she really hoped he would. Seven songs later, he led her back to the table. "This time, I buy the drinks. Tony went to the bar, and got them both a drink and then returned to the table.

"So," she asked, "What brings you here tonight all alone?"

"I needed to get out. Today was not the day for me to stay in and watch a movie alone."

"Why is that?"

Tony let out an audible sigh, "You see, about six years ago I lost my partner and when the anniversary of her death comes around, I fly out to Indiana where she was buried. After I return home, I just don't want to be alone. I usually go out and try to find some action to keep me from dwelling on the past."

She bit her lip, and looked towards the dance floor. That was the last thing that, she expected to hear Tony DiNozzo say. After composing herself, she returned back to him. "How long had the two of you been dating?"

Tony laughed, "Actually she wasn't my girlfriend. She was a co-worker at NCIS. We only worked together two years, but she was an excellent agent and a great partner."

She smiled at him; she wasn't sure where to go with the current subject, so she decided to change it. There was one topic that was sure to lead Tony off on a rampage, "You said that tonight wasn't a night to watch a movie alone, but what movie would you watch if you had someone to watch it with?"

"That depends on who I was watching it with?"

"What would you watch with your boss?"

"Hmm, Gibbs. I think the crime drama 12 angry men?"

"What would you watch with you father?"

"Psycho"

"What about the partner who died?

"Hmm, a movie for Kate. Something classic but with a strong heroine, I think Gone With The Wind."

She smiled at him with a sly seductive smile, "What would you watch with me?"

"That's a hard question as I don't know well, Bethany, but I think I would pick Dangerous Liaisons."

"I have heard of that film, but I have never seen it."

"If you want, we could go back to my place and watch it."

She smiled at him, "I would love to." The two walked out to his car and went back to Tony's place.


	4. Help Yourself

Chapter 4

Tony was in awe, he couldn't believe the way the evening had progressed. He had a beautiful woman in his car and they were on the way to his place to watch a steamy movie. He was going to get lucky tonight, and he hadn't even had to work at it.

He glanced at Bethany out of the corner of his eye. Her hair floated lightly around her shoulders and her outfit hugged her curves and emphasized her breasts nicely. She had beautiful eyes that a man could get lost in. He shook his head slightly, her eyes. There was something about her eyes that he had seen before.

He had been trying to place her eyes all night. Actually he'd been trying to place her most of the night. She seemed so familiar to him, like he'd known her for years.

Bethany's voice pulled Tony from his thoughts. "Tell me about the movie we are going to watch."

"I think it would be better as a surprise."

"Tell me!" She said in a soft seductive moan.

"No," Tony replied softly as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was getting an erection already, and they weren't even on the couch cuddling yet. He felt almost like a teenager again with the urges she as bringing out in him. He was relieved when he pulled into the driveway, and they could get out of the car. He jumped out of the car, ran around and opened the car door for her as she was gathering her purse.

"Why won't you tell me? She asked.

"Because it's fun to make you beg."

"You're such a tease."

"Darling, you haven't seen teasing yet!" She was smirking, and he noticed her cheeks redden slightly. He couldn't help thinking that Bethany blushed almost as easily as Kate did.

She was much more daring than Kate though, because she moved past the blush and played into it a way he would expect from Ziva. She lightly stroked his chest and replied, "I haven't seen teasing yet, so when are you going to start."

He smiled, now she was teasing him. He pulled her towards him and kissed her. When his lips touched hers a shiver coursed through his body. He braced his body against his car as his knees weaken. She grabbed a hold of his shirt; obviously she was a bit overwhelmed at the intensity of the kiss as well.

Pulling away from her, he took her hand and led her inside the house. Tony tried to keep his body slightly away from her, at least till he regained his composure. He didn't want to rush things tonight, and he knew it would be easy to get caught up in desire and do just that. As they entered the house he realized he should have straightened up, but he really hadn't expected to get anywhere tonight. He gave her a brief tour, showing her where the bathroom and kitchen was. He handed her a beer, and said "You're welcome to help yourself to anything in the house."

She took the beer and placed it on the counter. She then wrapped her arms around him, and replied "I think I will help myself to you." Then she began kissing him again.

In a moment's break from the kiss, Tony was able to reply "You can have all of me that you want, Bethany"

Her reply was another kiss, as her hands roamed hungrily over his body. She ran her arms around his sides and chest, and he returned the kiss and allowed his hands to roam over her body. He ran one hand through her hair and the other along her spine. She began tugging his shirt tail lose from his pants, and then started unbuttoning his shirt.

Tony broke free from the embrace. He took her hand and led her towards his bedroom. "If we don't get to my bed soon, I am going to wind up making love to you on my hallway floor."

She giggled, and replied "Take me to your bedroom then."

The bed was ruffled; he hadn't bothered to make it this morning. He didn't care though; he pushed the blankets to the side, to give them room to lie. He wanted her, it was eating at him. Tony worked quickly, but smoothly at removing her clothes and his. The passion was strong, and Tony had to remind himself to not rush things. Their clothes tossed to the floor, Tony ran his fingers up her arm. Her skin was so soft. He moved his hands to her breasts and cupped them, rubbing the nipple between his fingers. A soft moan escaped her mouth when he lowered his mouth to her nipple. Tony repositioned his body to allow her roaming hands better access to his chest. He smiled at the tickling sensation he felt as she lightly brushed over his chest. As her fingers trailed down his stomach and onto his upper thigh, Tony's breathing increased.

Tony gently pushed her flat on her back and then got on top of her. Focusing his energy on not pushing inside her right away, Tony brushed his groin along her teasing her with it as he trailed kisses down her breasts and tummy. He reached her shaven womanhood, and began to lightly dart his tongue around. After lightly teasing her with his tongue, he increased his rhythm and movement. Tony followed her lead from the pleasurable sounds she was making.

After he was sure he had given her multiple orgasms, Tony repositioned himself above her. He reached into the drawer of his bedside table and grabbed a small foil packet. After placing the condom on his penis, he entered her. Thrusting gently at first, but as he went on he moved harder. He arched his back enjoying the feeling of being inside her. He felt her grab his body tightly. She sounded as if she was cumming again, and with her orgasm, Tony also came and came hard.

As Tony got off her body her, he laid beside her. She cuddled up close to him, resting her head on his chest. Tony wrapped his arm around her, enjoying the feel of having her there. Tony was unsure of why, but having her there in his arms felt natural and right. He was also more than a little unnerved by the intensity of the orgasm he had just experienced.

"Wow that was amazing. I would have never guessed that you were so skilled." She said.

"I am to please."

"You did, very much so."

"I'm glad, Bethany. You were pretty amazing yourself. I hope to enjoy more of you before you return home."

She snuggled closer to you, "Sounds good to me. "

"You said you are in for a family reunion, when are you scheduled to go home."

"I drive home tomorrow evening."

"Too bad, two of my friends are getting married on Saturday and I have an invite in which I am allowed to take a guest."

After a length of science, Bethany spoke again. "I technically have the next two weeks off at work, I took my entire vacation at once. "

"Great, I will let Abby know that I am bringing a date to her wedding."

Bethany made a coughing sound, and Tony rubbed her back. "I don't know if I can stay. I kind of need to ride back with my family. I drove up here with them and wouldn't have a ride home if I didn't.

"Then I will get you a rental car, or drive you home myself."

"Alright, Tony I will see what I can do. What's the grooms name out of curiosity?"

"Tim. They are actually friends and coworkers. Their marriage has been a long time coming."

Bethany coughed again. "Abby and Tim are getting married." After a brief pause, "I like their names they sound cute." Then Bethany began kissing Tony again, and she then climbed on top of him to pursue their previous activities again.


	5. The Morning After

Chapter 5: The morning after

She lay in bed next to Tony. What had she done, she was only supposed to talk to him. She wanted to catch up on what had been going on at NCIS, but instead she had sex with Tony. She hadn't even made him work for it; she had wanted it so bad. When he had kissed her, it was as if the whole world had melted away and there was only the two of them left. This was so unlike her. Even still, she wanted to climb back on top of him and make love to him again and again. She would be in so much trouble if anyone found out who she really was. Tony would never forgive her.

She had almost slipped up last night. Tony didn't seem to notice, and she hoped that she had read him right. Still she was in shock that Abby and McGee were getting married. Gibbs was so against dating between coworkers. How had they ever gotten his approval? She doubted Abby would have agreed to marry Tim if Gibbs hadn't approved. She had an internal debate going on. She really wanted to go with Tony to the wedding on Saturday, but the whole NCIS team would likely be there. She may be able to fool Tony on who she really is, but she doubted she could fool Gibbs. Going to the wedding was a worse plan than coming out to DC was. She tried to keep telling herself that, so maybe she wouldn't go.

Tony's phone rang, and he sluggishly picked it up. From the end of the conversation she was hearing, it was obvious that Tony was being forced in to work on this Sunday morning. She smiled, remembering how many times they had made love the previous night. He was going to be exhausted, they had stayed up most of the night. He hung up the phone and then started nibbling her neck.

"Gibbs can wait, I need to have you again." He started to kiss her and get back on top of her. She wanted to encourage him, and stay in his arms all day. She knew it was a bad idea. Gibbs did not like to be kept waiting.

"Tony, dear. You shouldn't be late to work. I have family events to get to as well."

Tony sighed with frustration. It was obvious that he had his own internal dilemma going on. He knew he needed to go to work, but staying in bed with her all day was obviously more appealing. "I will get up and go to work on one condition; you must agree to have dinner with me tonight."

That seemed harmless enough. She could meet him for dinner and then drive home. Staying longer would just bring trouble. This would get them both out of his bed, which seemed a safer place for both of them. "I agree. Where should we meet?"

"If you're up for Italian, there is a delicious restaurant downtown called The Bistro."

"Sounds great." She smiled. She had loved the Bistro. It had been one of her favorite restaurants when she lived in DC. The pulled herself out of Tony's bed and started looking for her clothing. They had not paid attention to where they had thrown them. She also went into the kitchen and started brewing them a pot of coffee. Tony was going to need it. She also did not need to watch him get dressed, that would make her more willing to let him skip work today.

Tony offered to take her to wherever she was need to go, she allowed him to drop her off at her hotel room. She had a lot of thinking to do. She couldn't let herself get caught up in the idea of going to McGee and Abby's wedding. If she did, she might as well come clean about everything. If she did that, they would probably all hate her.

She looked at the clothing she had brought. Smart one she said to herself. She brought clubbing attire, and she brought lounging attire to wear while driving. She brought nothing nice for a date to the Bistro. A Date, the concept seemed very strange. She was going on a date with Tony. Guess it was time for another shopping trip. Without realizing what she was doing, she purchased over a weeks' worth of clothing, including a simple dress that was appropriate to wear to a wedding with a gothic bride.


	6. Hidden Meanings

Hello everyone. Sorry this has taken so long to get out to you. I hope to have the next couple chapters up soon. Thanks for the reviews. I love to hear what people think, so please continue reviewing.

Chapter 6 - Hidden Meanings

Tony was exhausted. It took him longer to do his morning routines and he stopped to fill up his tank and grab some caffeine. He and Bethany had made love so many times during the night. He hoped the case was simple; he didn't have the energy or mindset for complications today. Plus he had his date with Bethany, and he didn't want to stand her up.

Pulling into the parking lot he noticed that he was the last one there. Gibbs, McGee, and Abby were already there. He hoped they didn't complain that he took forever, but at least he showed up. He didn't want to leave Bethany this morning. Tony wasn't sure why, but he felt a connection to her.

He walked in to the office with a smile on his face. He was thinking about how he would ask Abby about taking Bethany to the wedding. He didn't want to ask Tim. Tim has been more worried about the price of the wedding, but Abby would say yes. He couldn't wait for the team to meet Bethany. Tony shook his head, he knew it was crazy to feel this attached to her after just one night, but he did.

"You're late!" said Gibbs.

"Sorry, boss. So what's the case?" He couldn't help but look McGee to try and determine if Gibbs had already explained the case to him. He was giving no indication.

"A Marine and the wife of another Marine were found in bed together. Both dead. Ducky and Palmer are already onsite. I wanted to be there by now." Gibbs said glaring at Tony. "Grab your gear and let's head out."

Tony was in good spirits, the case seemed simple enough. It was obviously a case of jealousy, the husband had probably found out about their affair. It should be open and shut. That meant he would be able to get back to Bethany quickly.

The trip took only 15 minutes with Gibbs driving. They arrived on scene to find a small crowd had gathered outside the small suburban home. Tony took notice of the neighborhood, and realized it was one of the wealthier neighborhoods in the area. The area would be out of the price range of most marines, even for one of the smaller homes in the neighborhood. This was one of the smaller ones.

The team entered the house taking the normal precautions. They found Ducky and Palmer in the bedroom. Tony looked at the bodies and shook his head. The woman in the bed wasn't old enough to be anyone's wife. She didn't even look 14. He glanced at Gibbs and Tim. Their face showed they were thinking the same thought. Also, there was no sign of struggle. Tony felt a sickening in his stomach. This case was getting more complicated by the minute.

Gibbs turned to Ducky, "How long have they been dead?"

"Rough estimate would be 2-4 hours."

"It's 1000, that puts time of death between 0600 and 0800 hours."

"Do you know what the cause of death is?"

"With no signs of struggle, I believe it is some sort of poison. But I need to do further tests to get more information."

"Where's the housekeeper, she was the one who called it in?"

"She's in the dining room."

"I'm going to go question her, McGee you're with me. DiNozzo start bagging clues."

Tony nodded at Gibbs, he wasn't going to argue. Gibbs was in a foul mood and Tony was beginning to doubt he would get to see Bethany tonight. He began carefully bagging clues, and found the ladies purse. Her identification listed her as Sukanya Tucker. She was listed as being 19. Tony did not believe this was her real age. It also listed her address as being about 15 minutes south of here. Tony also found an envelope stuffed with $100 bills and a small piece of paper that said 'cowgirl with blue jay and pearl necklace. Babyback Kimono. Donation $3500 " Tony sighed and looked at the girl in the bed. "Ducky, she's a high priced escort. Take that into account when doing your tests. He walked into the other room. Gibbs was talking to the housekeeper who was in tears. Tony cleared his throat to let Gibbs know he was there. Gibbs excused himself and went to the back with Tony. They stepped into the next room. Gibbs that girl in there was an escort. Her ID claims she is 19."

"I doubt she is 19. The housekeeper said that the dead man is Sergeant Major George Simmons. The girl in bed with him was Sukanya Tucker, the wife of one of the Sergeant Nicholas Tucker. Sergeant Major Simmons inherited this house from a wealthy family member five years ago. Sergeant Tucker served under Sergeant Major Simmons. Sergeant Tucker arrived home from Thailand 10 months ago with his new bride. The marriage paperwork showed her as being 19 at the time of marriage. We are going to have a hard time proving that she was just a kid."

"Has Sergeant Tucker been notified?"

"Not yet, the housekeeper didn't want to have to be the barrier of bad news twice."

Tony nodded in agreement. Unless the husband was the murderer, but poison pointed to a woman. "Did Sergeant Major Simmons have a wife?"

"His wife died three years ago from cancer. He has not dated since. I am going to finish talking to the housekeeper, then get this stuff back to Abby. She may want to come out here and look for possible poisoning agents herself, rather than have us bag and tag everything."

Tony jumped on this. "I could go pick her up while you finish up questioning. Then while she is looking for possible poisons, I could finish looking for and bagging other things."

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Call Abby and see if she wants to look for toxins onsite. If she does, go ahead and go get her. I have a bad feeling about this case, and want to crack it sooner than later."

"On it boss." Tony went into the other room and rang Abby. "How's my favorite lab tech doing?"

"Tony, what do you want?" Abby asked suspiciously.

"Ducky thinks that our two murder victims were poisoned. Gibbs and I think it would be more productive for you to do your thing here than for me to bag every possible item and bring it to you. This guy has some major cash, so there's a lot."

"Sure, it's better than sitting around here waiting for subjects to arrive."

"On my way to get you."

"I'll be here."

Tony told Gibbs he would be back, and then went to go get Abby. On the way there he called Bethany. He told her that they would have to do the restaurant tomorrow night, because he would be pulling an all-nighter at the station most likely. He picked up a large Caf-Pow for her. Abby got in the car and was excited.

"Everything set up for the wedding?" Tony asked

"Yes, I picked up my dress yesterday. I have to confirm with the caterer tomorrow. I can't believe it is less than a week away."

"I know, I am really excited. You and Tim make a great couple. I hope to one day have a relationship as awesome as the two of yours. I sometimes worry that I missed my chance at true love."

Abby smiled at him and patted his leg. "How was Kate?"

Tony sighed. Abby new him so well. "It was strange. I miss her so much Abs, but she's gone. I missed my chance with her." Abby reached over and hugged him.

"Tony, it wasn't meant to be. Kate is not the person you are meant to spend your life with. You will find somebody else."

Tony thought about Bethany. He had not meant for this conversation to be about Kate, he was trying to get an invite for Bethany to the wedding. He sighed. Maybe Bethany was a bad idea, after all he was still in love with his dead partner. It wouldn't be fair to start a relationship with Bethany or anybody because he didn't have the ability to offer everything to them. "But how do I start a serious relationship with somebody, knowing that I love Kate."

"When you're ready, it will happen."

"Don't laugh at me, but I am getting ready to tell you something that I haven't told anyone. When I go and visit Kate I have a conversation with her. I imagine what she would say to me. I know it's not real, but it kind of feels weird. It doesn't make any logical since, but that's how it is."

"I understand Tony. I have conversations with my parents when I visit their grave. It helps me to work out problems, because I can imagine the advice they would have given me."

"Yesterday, when I was with Kate, I imagined her accusing me of hiding something. I admitted that I was afraid of dying alone. Then I went out to a club the way I always do after visiting her. I met an amazing woman."

Abby looked at him skeptically. "I know you have this thing that after visiting Kate, you need to have random sex to try and pretend you're not alone. Just be certain that you aren't reaching for this woman as a simple replacement for Kate.

Tony bit his lip. Now was not the time to proclaim how much Bethany reminded him of Kate. That would just further Abby's theory. "I would like to introduce you to her. I think the two of you would get along great. The problem is she is from Atlanta and will be going home within the next two weeks.

Abby laughed. "You want to bring her to the wedding."

Tony laughed as well, "You Abs are too smart. I do want to bring her to the wedding. I would like the team to meet her. I am worried I took things to fast with her last night; I want to try and go backwards and slow down. She is a smart and beautiful woman. When we kissed, it was all electrical and such like they make it out to be in the movies. Only this was real. I have never felt a physical attraction to somebody this much!"

"Even to Kate?"

"Kate was different. We fought like an old married couple. I was too busy trying to pick on her like a silly school kid to pay attention to the sexual attraction I had to Kate. I can't tell you how strong it was because I refused to acknowledge its existence."

"That's not true Tony. You are the one who brought back the wet-t-shirt picture and you are the one who saw her as a catholic school girl after she died.

Tony thought for a while. He had sexualized Kate. He tried to compare his sexual attraction for Kate to his sexual attraction for Bethany. They felt the same. That actually scared him. It made him think that he was trying to replace Kate with the first girl that truly reminded him of her. "I met Bethany in a club. I had sex specifically on my brain. The attraction is equal or greater than what I feel for Kate. I can't break it down further than that because Kate has been dead for six years and I only met Bethany last night.

Abby nodded her head. "Invite her to the wedding. Also, let her know that my bachelorette party is Wednesday night. She is welcome to come. This way I could meet her and get an opinion of her before I see you two together.

"Thanks Abby, this means a lot."

"No problem, Tony. So now you should probably fill me in on the case details or Gibbs will have both our heads. I don't want to be a headless bride."

"It would only be my head, you're the favorite." They both laughed. Tony gave her the details that they had. He just finished the briefing as they pulled up to the house.


	7. Team Meeting

Mandatory Leave

Chapter 7 – Team Meeting

She felt so bad for Tony. He had felt guilty for canceling their date. Even though she was disappointed, she understood. He was an NCIS agent and there was a case to solve. Tony couldn't give her any information for obvious reasons, but she could tell he was disturbed by the case. She wanted to do something to make his night better, but what.

Eventually she decided to bring him dinner. She remembered the many nights of pizza delivery and Chinese takeout. She would take the team something better. She went to Fazoli's and purchased their favorite Italian Entrees. She ordered enough extra to try and make it look like she was guessing, but she wanted everyone to have something they liked. She bought a ton of extra breadsticks and got soda and coffee. She made sure the coffee was decent, because she knew Gibbs was very picky about his coffee

She had caught a cab back to her hotel so she had her car. She drove the route she remembered so well. She missed this. She parked semi-close and called Tony. She didn't want to carry in all the food if they weren't there. It would suck if they weren't there, because this is a ton of food.

"Hello Bethany."

"Hi Tony. I did something kinda goofy, I wanted to get away from my family and I was sad that we were missing our date tonight. I am in the NCIS parking lot with a car full of Fazolis. I hope you and your team are there."

"We are here, and were just talking about ordering takeout. You saved us. I am on my way out to help you carry it in. This way you can come in and meet the gang."

She froze. She had expected that, but the reality of meeting Gibbs sank in. This was going to go badly, she was sure of it. "You guys are busy; I don't want to interrupt your case. I just wanted to make sure you ate."

"The gang is excited to meet you, especially Abby. She's our bride. She did say you could be my date for the wedding and she wants you to go to her bachelorette party on Wednesday."

"Okay." She said hesitantly. She saw Tony coming into the parking lot, and she waved her hands so he would notice her. She ended the call as Tony wrapped his arms around her and gave her a passionate kiss. The kiss left her mind in a haze for a few moments, but she was able to bring herself out of it. "I have a bunch of food. I didn't know how many people you worked with so I got 15 entrees and 60 additional breadsticks. I hope it's enough."

"Wow, I will get the gang to chip in some. You bought enough for us to each have two meals. Theirs only me, Gibbs, Abby, Tim, Ducky, and Palmer. Ziva is on vacation."

"Oh, if they want to its fine but I mainly did it so I could see you and make sure you were eating tonight." She laughed at herself. She sounded like a silly school girl. Tony was having a bad effect on her. It took the two of them two trips to get all the food and drinks inside. Gibbs suggested using a conference room to eat in because it was big and had enough room for all of them to fit. She tried to duck out of eating with the team, but as she had brought the food they would have nothing of it.

Dinner went alright; she had to dodge a lot of questions about herself. Still the same old team, they were very protective of their own. During the clean-up, she knew this had been a huge mistake. Abby had pocketed her fork. She was going to run her DNA to find out more information. This was all going to come crashing down on her. She thought about confronting Abby and pleading with her not to run it, but that would make her more suspicious. When Fornell sees her DNA go through the NCIS database he is going to have her head.

As she was leaving, Gibbs stopped her. "Let me give you a tour of NCIS."

"You're super busy with this new case, I'll take a raincheck."

"I insist." Gibbs took her arm and started telling about different areas of NCIS. When they got to the elevator he stopped the car, he turned to her. "Bethany, I don't know what your game is. I know you are hiding something. I don't get the feeling you are trying to hurt Tony, but I think you are going to. Tony has been with me for a long time, I think of him like a son. He was in an emotional state the night you met him. I think your best move is to go back to Atlanta and forget you met him and let him forget he met you.

"It's not going to be that easy, Abby took my fork. Pretty sure she's going to run my DNA with it."

"Is she going to find anything that will get you into trouble? It's better to tell me now, than let me find out later. I don't like to be lied to."

"I honestly don't know what she's going to find. I am in the witness protection program. I am supposed to be dead. All I know is the FBI is going to have my head because I was not supposed to come back to DC."

Gibbs nodded his head. She could tell that her being in the witness protection program went along with his first impression of her. He knew she was hiding something, but didn't see her as trying to hurt anyone. He pulled out his phone. "Abs, have you started running our guests DNA yet?" There was a pause as Abby answered him. "Good, hold off on that for a bit. I am talking to her now and think it's better to wait."

"Thanks." She said.

"Doesn't mean she won't run it, but I want some more information first. This is not the first time we have met is it?"

She let out an audible sigh. The gig was up. She had taken it too far. Gibbs was suspicious. Even if he was in denial about who she was, he would figure it out. This is Gibbs after all.

"Special Agent Gibbs, you know there are questions that you really don't want the answer to. I suggest leaving that one alone. I think you were right, I will go back to Atlanta and Tony and I can forget we met each other."

"Nope, no longer an option. I should also mention that FBI agent Fornell is due to be arriving any moment to discuss our current case." She tried to hide her reaction to that name, but she knew Gibbs caught it. "If you want to leave, you can. I am sure you'd get to say hi. Otherwise, I can put you in one of the interrogation rooms. You can sit there till Fornell leaves."

"I'll go to the interrogation room."

"Alright. No idea how long this will take. I'll let you know when he leaves." He started the elevator again, and then the two walked in silence to the interrogation room. Gibbs locked her in.

It was hours before anyone came back. She was surprised that it was actually Tony who came in to bring her food. It made her nervous. She knew Gibbs was trying to figure out who she was. If any team could, she knew it was her team. She shouldn't have come back. Now they would all hate her.

"Bethany, I am so sorry that Gibbs is keeping you locked up in here. He said you have something you need to tell me and that I should come in and listen. I'm here for you."

She closed her eyes to fight back tears. This is not how she wanted the truth to come out. Gibbs had figured it out and was giving her the chance to save face. She also knew he would be watching in the other room. She wondered if it was just him, or if the others were in there too. She turned to the mirror. "Thank you for letting me be the one to tell Tony. I am sorry Gibbs." She turned back to Tony. "This is going to be a long story. You are going to get angry and are going to hate me before it's over. I just ask that you listen to everything I have to say. If you need to take a break while listening, just let me know and you can leave. I just ask that you come back and hear the rest."

"I promise."


	8. Forgotten Secrets

Mandatory Leave

Chapter 8 – Forgotten Secrets

Tony had no idea what was going on. Gibbs had come back from his tour with Bethany pretty shaken up. Tony had tried to update him on some new information about the double murder case they were working on, but he told Tony to handle it. Tony assumed he had shown Bethany out after the tour. After dismissing Tony, he spent an hour in Abby's lab then kicked her out of it.

Abby explained to Tony that she had begun her own DNA database as a pet project. She had collected DNA samples of all the people at NCIS as well as many of the bad guys they had taken down. Gibbs was asking all kinds of questions. He wanted to know how to put a DNA sample into the computer and run it, as well as how to read the results. Abby had offered to help him, but he had kicked her out of the office. He also wanted to know if she had a record of where the DNA samples in her database had come from.

After he left Abby's office, he grabbed Tony and took him to the interrogation room. Gibbs then told Tony that Bethany had something to tell Tony. Gibbs thought it best if Tony heard it first. Now Tony was sitting across from Bethany who had tears in her eyes. They both knew Gibbs was in the observation room, but Tony was lost.

"Bethany, I will listen. It can't be all that bad. "

"I guess I will start by saying my name is not Bethany. It's Caitlin."

Tony laughed. "That is the same name as my partner who died."

"I know."

Tony squinted his eyes with confusion. "How do you know that?"

"Because it's me, Tony. I didn't really die when Ari shot me."

"You are not Kate. I was there on that rooftop when she died. Her blood splattered on me. I watched her die. Why are you lying about something this serious?"

"I'm not lying. When I was at NCIS we sought counseling from Ducky because you ate my Tuna Fish sandwich. Neither of us liked it when he compared it to marriage counseling. He also said that we were sexually charged."

"So you stole Ducky's notes on the counseling, or talked to him. Still doesn't make me believe you are Kate."

"When we were in isolation for the plague, and I thought you would die I told you that I was infected even when I was clear. I didn't want you to be in there alone. I was afraid you would die alone. I told you that one of my greatest fears was to die old and alone. That was the truth, and because even then I loved you I couldn't let you possibly die alone. I told you that if they couldn't find a cure, at least we would be able to spend our final hours together." Tears were streaming down her face.

Tony remembered Kate saying those things to him. He had no idea how Bethany knew all these things, but Kate was dead. There was no way that she could have lived through the bullet what Ari put through her head. Tony remembered the incident like it was yesterday. He still had nightmares about losing her.

Tony shook his head, he couldn't believe this was happening. Bethany was not Kate. He didn't know why she was playing this game. It was sick. He stood up and slammed the chair into the table. "Bethany, I don't know why you feel you need to make up this kind of story. You can sit here longer, I'll be back later and you can tell me the truth about whatever Gibbs thinks you need to tell me. I'm not listening to the lies anymore." He stormed out of the room and into the observation room.

"Calm down, Tony. Take a deep breath."

"Aren't you angry? She is trying to claim she is Kate. We were there, we saw her die. As much as I would love for Kate to be alive, it's not possible."

Gibbs didn't say anything. He simply pulled out a sheet of paper from a folder and handed it to Tony. Tony looked at the DNA report. It compared the DNA of Bethany to the DNA of Caitlin Todd. They were a perfect match. Tony shook his head in disbelief. "Gibbs, I don't know how but she forged the data."

"I'm sorry Tony. I don't know everything, but she is Kate. This is from Abby's personal database. It is from a toothbrush that Kate had left at Abby's when they spent weekends together. The DNA from Bethany's fork match's Kate's. The DNA from the body Ducky autopsied as Kate does not match. Kate entered the witness protection program and became Bethany. I was hoping she would tell you how they pulled it off. Like you said, we were there. I also would like to know why she did this.

Tony slumped against the wall. This was too much to deal with. Kate was alive. It explained why Bethany reminded him of Kate. He felt betrayed. He had been grieving for her the past six years, and she had been alive the entire time.

"Do you want me to take over the questioning?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. I need time to adjust to this."

Gibbs shook his hand with understanding. He left the room and couple minutes later Tony saw him enter the interrogation room with a glass of water. Bethany, no not Bethany – Kate, she had tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry Gibbs, I should have never came to DC. I just missed everyone."

"How did you know where to find Tony?"

"I manage a call center, and he was flirting with one of my agents. I heard them mention his name. I checked to see if it was him. He had told her where he was going to be, I just wanted to talk to him. That was all that was supposed to happen. I just wanted to see how everyone was doing. I miss you guys so much"

Tony chuckled slightly. He remembered calling into the call center. The girl on the phone had sounded attractive so he had flirted with her. He knew he was going to be alone that night, and was trying every method possible to not be alone. He didn't expect it to result in something. She certainly did more than talk. He felt cheated that his first time making love to Kate was him not knowing it was her. He also felt guilty; he should have known it was her.

Gibbs rubbed his forehead. It was obvious that this was a difficult adjustment for him as well. "I am not sure what I want to ask next, so I will simply ask how and why."

Kate sighed. "I will start with the how. That is a lot simpler, because I don't understand a lot of what happened. I was really on the roof with you, and Ari really did shoot me. When Ari kidnapped me I witnessed something I wasn't supposed to. Ari didn't learn that I knew it until later. Once he knew I knew, he found information that he could use to blackmail me. That's when I made the decision to enter into the Witness Protection program. The FBI did some surgery on me and had me on a prescription. I am not sure what they did, but it made me appear to have died violently."

"Why didn't you just come to me?" Gibbs asked.

Kate glanced at the window. She obviously knew that Tony was observing her and Gibbs. She whispers "Because it would have destroyed your team."

"More than your death did?"

"Yes. It would have also cost an innocent girl and perhaps her family their lives."

"Who?"

"If I have to tell this part, I am only doing it once. Tony needs to come back in." Tony sighed, and went into the interrogation room.

"Tony's here now, so what little girl could have died."

"I will answer you Gibbs, but I need to ask Tony a few questions first." Gibbs nodded his head, and Kate turned towards Tony. "Do you believe I am Kate?"

Tony shrugged his shoulder. "Gibbs is convinced, and I will take his word for it. You had worked with us long enough that you should have trusted us with the girl's life. We could have saved her and kept you."

"There was more than one way she could have lost her life. She was 10 in 2005. Tony, do you remember when you were mocking me because of you finding the Spring Break picture of me from 1994?"

"Of course." Tony didn't want to admit how hot he had found the picture of Kate. He remembered that year his buddies had convinced him to go to a different bar. They were having their own wet t-shirt contest, which had been the only year he had missed the wet t-shirt contest at Rod's Tiki Tavern. He did get lucky at the other bar, but the contest was nowhere near as good.

"You were in Panama City that year. You weren't at Rod's place the night of the wet t-shirt contest; you were at a different bar. I don't remember which one, but I remember meeting you. After I won the contest, my friends wanted to go off to the other bars that had contests to see how I held up against the others. You took me back to your hotel room, and I had my first and only one night stand."

Tony thought for a while, trying to remember what she said. He knew he had gotten lucky, but he was so drunk that he couldn't remember much. She had been gone when he woke up, he had thought that he had dreamed it but he had found one of her earrings on his nightstand. Now he felt worse, he had sex with Kate on two separate occasions, but neither time had he actually made it special. He didn't even remember the first one.

"I got pregnant. I didn't know who you were or how to contact you. I decided that it would be best to give the baby up for adoption. Our daughter has a wonderful set of parents, but somehow Ari…"

"You should have found me. I had a right to know." Tony was furious. He had a child out there somewhere. He didn't even know what she looked like.

Gibbs looked surprised by that information. "DiNozzo, calm down. If you can't listen to Kate, you will be dismissed from this room."

Tony sat quietly, even though he was still angry. "I'm sorry, Tony. I truly am." Kate was crying uncontrollably. All the years of guilt for giving up the child, not being able to find Tony, and then having to leave the people she considered her family.


	9. Best Man

Mandatory Leave

Thanks for everyone who has liked and review the story. I am at the point where I am ready to have it done. Chapter 10 will be the last chapter. I am sorry if it feels like I am rushing the story, but if I don't finish it soon, I probably never will.

Chapter 9 – Best Man

Tony had left the room. It had become too much to deal with, so that left Kate and Gibbs to talk alone. Kate felt a little more comfortable with this, because she knew Gibbs had a child so he would understand the need to protect her daughter.

"So how long did it take you to figure out that Tony is the father of your child after starting at NCIS?"

"Less than a month. He has aged both physically and mentally and I had only met him the once. If I had realized it was him before accepting the assignment I wouldn't have taken it."

Gibbs nodded his head. "Were you ever going to tell Tony about the child."

"No. I had met the couple that adopted her before she was born. I knew they would be loving parents. With the field I was going into in college, I chose a closed adoption after birth. I was afraid something like this would happen. I have no idea how Ari found out. Since I had never had Tony's permission for the adoption since I didn't know who he was I didn't want to tell him. I was afraid he would try to find the child and take her away from the couple."

"I can understand that fear. I still wish you would have come to me when all this happened."

"I wanted to Gibbs, but honestly Tony is very hot headed. I was afraid the sudden knowledge that he had a child and that the child was being threatened would be too much for him. I knew about the child and had a hard time staying level headed when her life was in danger. I did the only thing I could. Also, if I had told then Tony and I would have no longer been able to work together. I know he hates me now. So the team would have fallen apart anyway."

"I don't think he hates you Kate. He is hurt. He feels like you betrayed him. I disagree that you betrayed him, you were a parent doing what is best for her child. Tony will figure that out once he deals with all the raw emotions. He also feels guilty himself for not recognizing you. Either time."

"I hope so." Kate was getting ready to apologize again when the interrogation room door flew open. Abby ran in and hugged her.

"Kate, oh my god I can't believe it's you. We need you to help us crack this case so we can get you a bridesmaid, no scrap that maid of honor dress. I have missed you. "

Kate's eye's filled up with tears looking at Abby, "You don't hate me?"

Abby smiled. "I am annoyed that you didn't tell us but as Tony is ranting about a daughter that would be sixteen that he met you during college and you never told him"

"Ari found out about our baby and found her family. He was going to kill her if I reported him. I went to the FBI because I was scared of Tony's reaction. They put her and her family in the witness protection program. I also went in. I got to meet her. She's beautiful. She has my hair color and Tony's eyes. "

"I wish I could meet her, but I am so happy to have you back Kate."

Kate smiled. At least one of her friends didn't hate her. She looked at Gibbs. He was so unreadable.

"Well Kate, might as well make use of you since you're here. Would you like to write up profiles on the suspects in our current investigation?"

Kate smiled as she gave Gibbs a big hug. He understood. That was what mattered. "Would I ever!"

Abby wrapped her arms around both of them. "Group Hug! Though we should probably have Tim give her the low down on the case. Tony is kind of worthless right now."

Gibbs nodded. The three of them walked to the group's area. Tony was telling McGee and Palmer about Kate's deception. "DiNozzo, elevator conference. McGee fill Kate in on the case. Palmer back to work."

The group watched as Tony and Gibbs walked into the elevator.

Abby pouted as they walked away. "I would love to hear what Gibbs was saying, I hate elevator conferences. It's impossible to eavesdrop. "

"Not impossible my love, more difficult" replied McGee. He grabbed a computer keyboard and started doing some things quickly. Before long the group was huddled around the speakers on his desk."

"…. no choice," said Gibbs voice."

"People always have a choice. It rule number 1. Never screw over your partner."

"That's the problem, she wasn't your partner when you screwed her over. Tell me Tony how was she supposed to find you."

"I don't know, ask around. Enough people knew me down there."

"By the time she found out she was pregnant it would have been at least three weeks later, probably more. She was back at school."

"Fine, when our daughter was in danger, she should have told me then.

"What would you have done differently DiNozzo?"

"I would have gotten custody of the child and protected her myself. I'm her father, that makes me the best man for the job! I would have found Ari and all of his associates and made sure they never harmed a hair on either my child or Kate's head."

"And that is why she was right to not tell you. Your impulsive actions after the bombshell drop would have cost many lives, including your daughter's. There is a reason most parents don't work on cases involving their children, they are focused on their children. That is a bad thing, but makes it hard to be objective."

Tony made a sound as if to argue, but Gibbs stopped him before he could say anything. "You can't go back anyway, accept what has happened and deal. DiNozzo you should remember it's not rule 1 that applies, it's 51. Sometimes you are wrong. Kate is helping us on this investigation and will be at Abby's wedding. This is big news for you. Take the rest of the night off. You will be no good to us here and will upset Kate further. Go home and we will see you tomorrow." The button to start the elevator moving again was pushed, so McGee quickly ended the hack. Abby and Palmer quickly moved to their areas, leaving only Kate and Tim.

Kate looked at McGee. She couldn't read him. Did he hate her or did he understand? He started filling her in on the case of the child bride/escort and completely avoided any topic of Tony or Kate's daughter. Kate didn't blame him, after all he was Tony's best friend and Abby's fiancé. He had to feel trapped in the middle.

When Gibbs came back in, it was obvious Tony had put up a fight about leaving and having Kate stay in his place. Kate knew Gibbs was correct, Tony needed time to adjust to the information he had learned. He was so hurt, and she could understand why. Kate felt horrible for hurting him this way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With Kate's help the team had solved the murders within a couple days. The woman was a high priced escort, her husband had married her in an attempt to rescue her from the prostitution ring. She had been a child prostitute before he met her, and he had married her in an attempt to save her. She had returned to prostitution when her mother had become ill and she needed to send money home. She and her husband were living paycheck to paycheck. She was killed by her pimp because she had raised enough money and said she was leaving the business again.

With the case solved, Abby was able to take Kate shopping for her dress. For each of her three other attendants Abby had allowed them to pick a dress of their own liking as long as it was red and/or black with a gothic feel to it. Kate was so numb from everything that had happened; she was leaving the selection to Abby.

At a small boutique specializing in vampire style wear, Kate was looking in the mirror. She realized she should have made the selection herself. The dress Abby had selected was very seductive. A red brocade corset that was strapless, with a black sheer shirt beneath. The mermaid style skirt was ankle length, hugged her curves and was in black velvet. "Are you sure this is appropriate for a wedding?" Kate asked.

"It's perfect," Abby said. "It should make Tony's mouth drop to the floor. You two will be so cute together in your pictures."

"Abby, I am sure Tony is going to avoid me at all costs, especially dressed like this."

"He can't. You're the maid of honor, and he's best man. You two will be leaving the church together and sitting side by side at the reception. I called Ziva and she is happy to let you walk with Tony, and her walk with Palmer."


	10. Happily Ever After

Hello everyone. This is my final chapter, it's kind of long. Mainly because I wanted to finish, instead of divide the story into two chapters.

Chapter 10 – Happily Ever After

Tony sat in the back of the men's dressing room. The others were helping Tim get ready for the big day, but he was sitting to the side by himself. Tony had been dreading today all week. Today was the first time he would be seeing Kate since Gibbs sent him home. He still didn't know how he felt about this situation with Kate. He loved her, he knew that, but the idea that they had a child together and she didn't tell him hurt. Everyone was trying to convince Tony that she had done it for to protect their child. On some level he knew that was true, but there was still a large part of him that was still angry that he did not know. He felt like he should have had a say in the decision both at birth and when Ari was after her.

Tony shook his head and stood up, as he watched the ushers leave. It was only him, Tim, and Gibbs left. The issue with Kate would be put aside for today. He was not going to let his feelings put a damper on Tim and Abby's special day. He remembered how shocked Kate had been about Tim and Abby getting married. Looking back it was obvious by her tone that she had known them, but she had distracted him quite easily. He had enjoyed the distraction. Tony wanted to kick himself for not realizing who Bethany was before.

McGee turned and looked at Tony, "Do you have the ring?"

Tony pulled the small black box out of his pocket, opened it, and showed it to Tim. The ring was quite pretty. It had silver and black metallic tones in a "v" shape that would complement her engagement ring. McGee nodded and smiled, as Tony closed the box and slid it back in his pocket.

Gibbs smiled at the rest of them. "It's about time, I am going to check on our bride and be there to give her away. It's about time for you to take your places." He then walked out the door. Tim and Tony checked things over one more time and then went to the front of the church so they could make their entrance when the time came.

The music started, Tim and Tony entered and took their places up front. Abby's grandmother was escorted in by Palmer. McGee's mother and grandmother are seated by unknown relatives of McGee. Then the processional starts. The men come and take their places for a total of 3 additional groomsmen including Palmer. The ladies begin walking in, two people that Tony does not recognize and Ziva. Next comes two adorable children that are obviously the flower girl and ring barrier. Next Tony had to close his mouth and focus his wobbly knees as he saw how hot Kate was in her gown. As she walked forward, Tony noticed that she was watching him but darted her eyes down as they made eye contact. Next Abby come's in on Gibb's arm. She is beautiful, but Tony's eyes keep darting back to Kate.

The ceremony goes as all ceremonies do; it is beautiful, but most special to the two people who are exchanging the vows. Finally they are pronounced man and wife and share their kiss. They exit the church followed by Tony and Kate. Tony and Kate meet in the middle of the aisle, and has he takes her arm he feels a tingle go over his body. Tony keeps his focus and walks Kate out the door. He knows he cannot look at her or he will melt.

After pictures, they move on to the reception. It becomes even more obvious that Abby is trying to play matchmaker. Tony and Kate are sat right next to each other at the bridal table, with nobody else that they know in an adjoining seat. Abby and Tim have their own table alone. As the dinner is served, the two sit in uncomfortable silence. To break the silence, Kate comments on how delicious the food is, and Tony agrees. The silence returns.

The bride and groom make their way out onto the dance floor. A song that Tony doesn't recognize comes on, but Abby and Tim are all smiles. It suits them. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Kate look at him and then she got up and left. Tony didn't think anything of it until three songs later; Abby came over looking for her. Not wanting to upset Abby, he told her that she'd went to the bathroom and then got up and to look for her.

Eventually Tony found Kate outside on a bench. She was holding a picture of a young girl, and had tears in her eyes. Without asking, Tony knew who the picture was of. "Damn," he thought to himself. "Kate and I really make a beautiful child."

"She's beautiful," He said aloud.

"She is." Kate handed the picture to Tony. "I'm not supposed to have this, but her adoptive mother snuck it to me when they entered the witness protection program. She wanted to thank me for giving her Sarah. She said Sarah is the best thing that ever happened to her and she thanked me for protecting them by entering the witness protection program. She knew I was giving up my friends and career to protect them. I told them, even though she was Sarah's mother, I was still too. I had to protect that girl. It was so scary, she said the principal at Sarah's school had contacted them and said a suspicious character had been seen outside the school. At that point, I knew there was no way around it, and we did what had to be done. She gave me the picture so I would have something.

"Our daughter is Sarah."

"Yes, I don't know if the changed it or not when she went in the witness protection program, probably though. Sarah is what they named her when they adopted her." Tears were welling up in Kate's eyes.

"I assume they did. It's standard procedure." After a pause, he continued. "I'm not going to say I am sorry for the way I have acted the past few days, because I believe you should have told me, especially when her life was in danger because of us. That said, I know you did what you felt was best. It's obvious you love our daughter and wanted what was best for her. She's safe, and that is the important part. You succeeded in saving her. I think we should agree to disagree on the past and move forward from here."

"I would like that." Kate said softly as she wiped away the tears and smiled at Tony. "But where is forward."

"Beyond tonight, I don't know." Tony admitted. "But, I want Abby to enjoy her wedding and not worry about us. I think we should go back inside. By the way, she was looking for you and I told her you were in the bathroom, I didn't want her to worry."

"Thanks."

The two walked in and the dance floor was packed as people danced to an upbeat song. Abby was in the middle of a group of nuns and they were all dancing together. Tony went up to the bar and got him and Kate a drink. They sat down and watched, while making small talk. Eventually Tony asked Kate is she wanted to dance. Just as they got to the dance floor, the song changed to a slow love song. As Tony took Kate in his arms things felt right. She felt as if she belonged there. He caught a glimpse of Abby, and she had a mischievous smirk on her face.

Kate and Tony danced a couple more times throughout the night, but they continued to chat. They discussed things that had happened in the past few years, as well as movies and TV shows. As the evening progressed the uncomfortable air between them started to fade and it became like old times. Eventually it came time for the couple to leave for their honeymoon. Tim slipped Abby's garter off with his teeth and then called the men to the floor. The garter landed on Tony's head and then fell into his hands. With a sigh, he walked back to his table. Kate couldn't help but laugh at the look on Tony's face and the determination on Abby's as she was pulled to the group of girls fighting for the bouquet.

"You better try." She whispered to Kate upon viewing her apprehension.

Kate shrugged her shoulders and went over with the group of single ladies. She lifted up her arms to try and catch the bouquet. She didn't want to participate, but she knew Abby would be disappointed if she didn't try. Neither Kate nor Tony was surprised when she caught the flowers; they knew Abby was trying to aim for her.

As the honor attendants, Tony and Kate felt obligated to stay at the reception hall till everyone was gone. Kate was mentally exhausted and falling asleep at the table when the last people finally left. He figured it was a combination of the drinks she had and just exhaustion. She began rummaging through her purse for her keys, but Tony stopped her. You're too out of it to drive. I'll take you back to my place and we will come get your car in the morning. Kate wanted to argue, but she was too tired. She fell asleep in the car, and didn't wake when they pulled into Tony's driveway. She looked so cute, he couldn't wake her. He picked her up and carried her to his room. She woke up slightly, but snuggled close to him and went straight back to sleep. The corset she was wearing did not look comfortable, so he loosed the strings in the back and laid her on the bed.

Tony had an internal debate going on. He wanted to crawl in bed next to her, but it seemed wrong to do that. He decided to be a gentleman and went to the couch. Knowing she was there in his bed mad it very difficult to sleep. All he could think about was when she was here as Bethany and the passion they had shared as they made love. Finally, he got up and went to the shower. He turned it cold, as cold as he could. The shower only helped a little, he still wanted Kate. He wanted to make love to her as Kate, the woman he had loved for a very, very long time.

Leaving the shower, he came out and found Kate sitting on the couch. "I am sorry I fell asleep."

"It's no problem. That dress does not look comfortable, would you like to borrow a shirt?"

"That would be great. Thank you."

Tony went into his closet, and got her an extra-large shirt to sleep in. He handed it to her and she smiled. "Would you mind helping me out of this thing. Abby laced me into it, and I can't see to figure out how to get out of it."

Tony moved closer to her, and he finished loosening the strings in the back. As they loosened, he felt the corset give some. Being this close to her was driving his senses mad. He might as well sleep in the shower. She went into the bathroom, and got off of the dress, and put on his shirt. He watched her exit the bathroom and felt his erection grow. How was it possible for her to look so sexy in his shirt.

"I guess we should get some sleep." She said.

"You're right. I figured I would take the couch and give you the bed." He replied.

"I can't take your bed, I will sleep on the couch."

"Nonsense, I won't let a guest sleep on the lumpy couch."

"Well, I won't let you give up your bed for me."

"Then I guess you will have to come to bed with me." As Kate's cheeks turned red, Tony realized that he had said that last line aloud. He had thought it, but it was not supposed to come out of his mouth.

"That is one solution."

"We're both exhausted, and this couch is going to give neither of us a good night's sleep. It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

Kate nodded her head, and they both went to the bedroom. They collapsed together on the bed, both going to sleep rather quickly falling asleep in each other's arms.

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Tony was the first one awake, and for a while he just watched Kate sleep. Everything felt right having her next to him. Tony couldn't help but wonder if Sarah would be happy about this. He knew most children wanted their parents together, but he and Kate hadn't raised her. He believed that she would be happy. He also wondered what kind of parents he and Kate would have made. He wasn't so sure they would have been the best parent's when Sarah was born, but now they would be great at it. Tony smiled imagining him and Kate having a baby now. He saw Kate working from home to help the team, that way they didn't have to put their baby in daycare. He fully expected Gibbs would be in support of that idea.

Kate began stirring, and Tony pulled her towards him. She opened her eyes and looked into Tony's. He bent over and kissed her. She eagerly returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around him, while running her fingers through his hair. Tony let out a soft moan at her touch. He wanted her so bad right now. His was so hard; he tried to cool his desire down some. He wanted to take this slow, and do it right. As they paused for air from the kiss, Tony smiled at her. "I love you," he said. "I don't know how long I have loved you, but I love you. I am so happy to have you back. I may never let you go again."

Kate chuckled. "I wouldn't mind that, but I think others may. I love you too,Tony. I have loved you for a long time as well. I hated leaving you the most. I'm….." Tony kissed her. He didn't want to hear her apologize again; he didn't want this to turn into a serious conversation. There would be time for that later. He wanted to make love to the woman he loved. He wanted her to know he loved her, and that was all the talking they needed.

Tony began unbuttoning the shirt that she was wearing, exposing her bare breasts. He began by nibbling her neck. She squirmed beneath him. He traced small hearts on her stomach and breasts before he began sucking on the right one. Kate closed her eyes and then reopened them. She moved her hands over his bare chest, playing with his nipples. She continued to play for a few minutes, and then allowed her hands to move lower. She caressed his thigh, before sticking her and down to stroke his rock hard penis. Tony shuttled with the excitement, it was taking everything in him not to get on top of her and enter her. He wanted this to last though.

She wasn't making it easy though, she moved her body away from him and placed her mouth on his penis, and took it into her mouth. As she began moving back and forth, he nearly came. It felt so good, but this is not how he wanted to cum today. He backed away from her mouth, pulling her up closer to him. "You are way too good at that, my love." She smiled. They returned to kissing for a bit, and his hand slid down towards her vagina. He found her opening and slipped a finger , then two inside her. She was so wet, he knew she was ready for him. He moved the finger around, caressing her g-spot while using his thumb to rub her clitoris. She let out an orgasmic scream. He continued this process, making her cum multiple more times. As he was doing this, she moved her hand back down to him. By this point they had both shed their underwear. Tony got on top of her, and looked into her eyes.

"Please." She asked, ready for him.

He eyed his nightstand, knowing he should get a condom but not wanting to. He wanted to be inside her with no barrier, to feel her wetness on his penis. He wanted to fill her with his seed and have a baby that they could raise. He knew he could plunge inside her right now, and she would believe that he forgot. He bit his lip and said "I should grab a condom from the drawer."

She glanced up at him, and then at the drawer. As he began reaching, she grabbed his hand. "I'm okay if you are." He smiled as he entered her. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman not wearing a condom. The two of them climaxed quickly and together. After were done, they lay facing each other, and holding each other. Tony was stroking her arm, and then moved his hand over her belly.

"I love you Caitlin Todd. You are not leaving me again. We will do what we need to keep you and Sarah safe. I am hoping with the amount of time that has passed, we can move forward here. If not, I will be beside you. But I want to know that you are mine forever. That and I want a child with you, a child that we will raise together."

"You better be careful with what you say, DiNozzo. One might mistake your words as an offer of marriage."

"Do you want to marry me?"

"I do."

"We should get up, get some breakfast, and then go buy you a ring. I would suggest conserving water in the shower, but I don't think we will make breakfast if we do that."

Kate laughed in agreement. "We need to go by my hotel, all I have to wear is my wedding outfit. Also, we need to get ahold of Agent Fornell, and see what needs to happen to make sure that we are not doing anything that will put Sarah at risk."

"I'll take my shower first, and then I can head over to your hotel and grab your stuff."

"Go ahead and shower, my toiletries are in the hotel room and I can grab a quick shower at the hotel. I am going to call Gibbs and see if he can meet us for lunch. I would like to get his input on everything."

"You better call Abby, too."

"But she is on her honeymoon."

"Her and Tim have had plenty of time to consummate their marriage, but she's not the first to hear about our engagement we will both have Hell to pay. "

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Tony, Kate, Abby, Tim, and LeRoy Gibbs sat at a small café for lunch. "Thanks for meeting us here. Especially you and Tim," he said looking at Abby. "Kate and I have worked through the past, and we are moving forward with the future."

In unison, they said "We are getting married."

Kate continued, "We have some details to work out with Agent Fornell, but this is what we both want. " Abby was out of her seat, jumping up and down, and hugging Kate and Tony.

"I am so excited for both of you." Abby said

"I am not losing her again." Tony replied.

"I actually got off the phone with Agent Fornell this morning. I contacted him earlier this week when you showed up Kate. He say things are clear for you to return to NCIS, but he would rather we hire you in as Bethany Wade, the identity they had given you. He says he can make changes to your identity, to make you hirable by NCIS again."

"That would be wonderful." Kate said excitedly. The team agreed that from here on she would be known as Bethany.

"After seeing you two at the wedding last night, I knew this would be the eventual outcome. I didn't expect it to be so quick, but you two are through waiting time. Fornell said when invitations go out, send Fornell an extra and he will contact Tony's "distant cousins" and make sure they come to the wedding.

Kate's eyes filled up with tears. Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They both took in the realization that Gibbs had just said their daughter would be at their wedding.

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Hmm, I meant for this to be the last chapter, but now I kind of want to write their wedding and introduce Sarah. I am going to mark it as complete, but if you want an epilogue of their wedding let me know in the reviews.


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